Career Navigator Goes Online

WASHINGTON (NNS) -- The Navy is bringing together all enlisted career management policies, processes and multiple information technology systems under the umbrella of the Career Navigator program in order to provide Sailors with tools and information to plan and execute their career decisions as announced in NAVADMINs 149/13 and 150/13 released May 30.

"Our goal is to provide Sailors with career opportunities across the continuum of Active and Reserve service," said Rear Adm. Tony Kurta, director of military personnel plans and policy. "We have dismantled PTS and created a reenlistment process that is more advantageous for Sailors. We're simplifying the process and providing information sooner, giving our Sailors interactive capability that will enable more transparency and feedback capability and ultimately allow Sailors to be more actively involved in managing their careers."

Career Navigator will use Career Waypoints (formerly Fleet RIDE) as the IT system that supports key Sailor decisions about which way to go next in their career. Career Waypoints will include the enlisted career management processes that allow Sailors to give their intentions to reenlist, reclassify, designate into a rate, convert or transition between the Active Component and Reserve Component. Accordingly these processes will be called: Reenlistment (formerly Perform To Serve (PTS)), Reclassification (formerly production management office (PMO)), PACT designation (formerly rating entry for general apprentice (REGA)), Conversion and Transition. Changes to the system, policy and process names will occur in the next few months.

Beginning June 3, Sailors will receive results of reenlistment applications earlier and the process will align with orders negotiation. Sailors will find out if they've been approved sooner, and have more time to apply for orders through the Career Management System Interactive Detailing (CMS-ID), in the Reenlistment Career Waypoint for active duty.

All Sailors will continue to indicate their intentions to reenlist or separate with their career counselor. They will submit their intentions through their career counselor 13 months before their active obligated service, as extended (SEAOS), one month earlier than before. Sailors can still change their minds after this initial submission, and are encouraged to let their career counselors know if they've made a change as soon as possible.

"Knowing Sailors' intentions is critical to accurately predict how many Sailors we will have in each skillset, rate and paygrade going forward" said Kurta. "This ensures the maximum opportunity to reenlist in rate for those Sailors who desire to stay, offers opportunities for Sailors to convert to a new rate or transition between components, and improves advancement opportunity."

All eligible and command-approved E-6 Sailors will be approved for reenlistment on their first application, according to officials. While there is still a need for Sailors to tell their career counselor their intentions, if they want to reenlist and have command approval to do so, they will be given reenlistment approval on their first application. Soon, as the IT system is updated, Sailors and their commands will receive confirmation immediately upon submittal.

Navy officials say 100 percent of eligible, command approved Sailors in skillsets that are open (undermanned) or balanced will also receive approval to reenlist on their first application, and within 30 days. This will also become immediate with planned IT updates.

The changes will give eligible and command-approved E-5 and below Sailors answers about reenlistment requests earlier. This process has also been aligned with orders negotiation so Sailors will have more time to negotiate for the orders they want.

Sailors in skillsets that are competitive or overmanned, or that have special requirements such as the nuclear community, will receive information sooner about their ability to reenlist in rate, or opportunity to convert to a different rate or transition to the Reserves. Many of these Sailors will also receive approval to reenlist on their first application depending on the manning in their year group.

According to Kurta, with this new design, approximately 75% of Sailors who want to reenlist will be approved on their first application and all Sailors will know at least 10 months from the end of their contract whether they will be able to reenlist in their current rate.

"Each month, we have been processing approximately 12,000 reenlistment applications," Kurta said. "This number is expected to decrease significantly since the majority of Sailors will not have to apply for multiple months before receiving a decision. Sailors not approved to reenlist in rate will have additional time to apply to convert into another rating where opportunity exists. "

For Sailors who are in overmanned or competitive skillsets will have up to 11 monthly reviews grouped into three phases beginning 13 months from their expiration of SEAOS. Each phase will present the career options available to a Sailor.

The first phase provides Sailors with four reviews starting 13 months from SEAOS with three options of in-rate reenlistment, conversion to another rating or transition into selected Reserves (SELRES ).

In the second phase, Sailors who have not been given the go ahead for reenlistment in-rate will be given four more reviews with the options of conversion to a new rate or transition into SELRES.

In the third and final phase, Sailors will receive up to three reviews to transition into SELRES.

Other changes to improve Sailors' career management include updates to rating designation for Professional Career Track (PACT) Sailors, rating conversions for Reserve Sailors, and Reserve component to active component augmentation. These updates will be supported by several information technology enhancements to Career Waypoints and are also effective, June 3.

The second change automatically generates partial applications for PACT Sailors who meet minimum qualification requirements. The NAVADMIN also modifies policy to allow time in rate (TIR) Sailors to apply for a rating entry designation (RED) quotas.

The final process changes impact Sailors in the Reserve Component, as part of continuum of service initiatives announced in NAVADMIN 114/10. Starting June 3, SELRES and voluntary training unit (VTU) Sailors will be able to request active duty augmentation through the transition module within Career Waypoints, provided they meet specific program requirements. The program is being expanded to include FTS opportunities and to allow conversions into ratings with available quotas provided Sailors meet program requirements.

Additionally, SELRES Sailors will be able to request conversion to an undermanned SELRES rating through Career Waypoints, instead of routing paper packages to PERS-8 for approval.

Previous Selective Reenlistment Bonus (SRB) restrictions are now lifted for augmented members. Reserve Component Sailors who augment onto active duty may be eligible to receive SRB based on current active duty SRB authorizations and their amount of continuous active duty service.

To be eligible for SRB, Reserve Sailors must have completed at least 17 continuous months of active Naval service (other than active duty for training), but not more than 20 years of active military service at some time in their career. To ensure all requirements are met, visit the SRB page of the NPC Website.

To learn more about the Career Navigator program, Sailors may speak with their chain of command, career counselor, read the NAVADMIN, or call NPC customer service center at 1-866-U-ASK-NPC, (1-866-827-5672) or e-mail at CSCMailbox@navy.mil.